How to write a perfect case

- Then we are ready for Aller Best 2021. And I warmly welcome you to participate in this competition. The invitation comes from Chris Tallerås Steen, head of the jury and commercial director at Aller Media.

Aller Best 2020 has just ended, and in the end it was the Norwegian Directorate of Health that came out on top.

The winning team consisted of Jasmina Lie from Aller, Christian Næss Gundersen and Henriette Skådinn Mindshare, Hedda Refsum Schultz from Helsedirekoratet. In addition, Per Høj Reklamebyrå was an important part of the campaign.

Christian Næss Gundersen, who is also a new jury member this year, says afterwards that he saw the winning case at an early stage. "Their entire working methodology suggested it.

- We started with the insight to break barriers, and we knew we had to recruit based on that. We knew we had to use the best person to tell the story, and of course that's Aller. In the end, we got the receipt that we succeeded," he says.

Aller Best - an important award!

Aller Best was initially perceived as an internal competition, but over the five years of its existence, it has developed into an important competition that is recognized throughout the industry. Several of last year's top three participants expressed their enthusiasm for Aller Best, and believe it really is something to aspire to.

- Over the years, Aller Best has raised the level year by year. The execution, the cases and the case presentations have all become stronger. I look forward to seeing how this year it will be taken up another notch," says Martin Wenstad Janssen, who took third place in Aller Best 2020.

Jury chairman Chris Tallerås Steen believes the Aller Best award has become extremely important.

- This is because we focus on good work. We focus on collaboration between Aller, media agencies, advertising agencies and customers. Most things turn out well, and perhaps best of all when we work together to create something," she says.

In the video below, she gives you her best advice for creating a great case for Aller Best 2021.

Good cases deserve to shine

She brings a highly competent team with her to highlight the best cases of the year. In addition to herself, the 2021 jury consists of Martin Wenstad Janssen, Christian Næss Gundersen and Hanne Jegleim.

- I'm looking forward to lots of inspiration and many good discussions! Of course, I hope for good strategies and lots of creativity," says Hanne Jegleim, Customer Director at Mediacom.

With 25 years of experience in marketing and management, she brings her analytical mind and, not least, a big heart for the marketing profession. She can also boast many top positions in ANFO Effekt, Mediaforum and Gulltaggen.

- "I'm very keen to prove the impact of marketing on business results. I think I'm good at asking questions, challenging and seeing opportunities beyond the 'textbook'," she says.

Martin Wenstad Janssen recently moved from Aller to Cavai as commercial director. With awards in ANFO Effekt, Gulltaggen, the Media Awards and not least Aller Best, he knows what it takes to create a good case.

- Having had several cases in Aller Best myself, I hope my experience as a former participant can be a good addition to this year's jury," he says.

Good stories lead to success

Christian Næss Gundersen, Account Director at Mindshare and this year's winner, with the case of the Norwegian Directorate of Health. Among other things, they use real stories through real people, which was one of the most important factors and produced extremely good results. He himself has extensive experience of storytelling, including during his time in the marketing department at Hennes & Mauritz. Since then, he has drawn on his experience in content.

- In my experience, customers are often introverts, and by that I mean that they very often have a good idea of what they want to say, but not necessarily what readers are interested in. And it's precisely in that translation that content producers have a very important role to play. You know your readers, and we as a media agency have a pretty good idea of the population," says Christian Næss Gundersen.

Have really ambitious goals!

Chris Tallerås Steen is a big fan of starting early with case development, but also highlights other elements that are important for doing well at Aller Best.

- Make sure you set your hair goals! Work together, take your time and, lastly, have fun while you're at it," she advises.

Sharing their top tips

The jury is made up of people with different backgrounds and experiences, and therefore also has the opportunity to share good but very different advice.

- Hanne Jegleim: My very best advice for creating the best possible case is to put work into building a good "story" and be clear about what makes this a good case.

- Martin Wenstad Janssen: A case is never universal. If you're aiming for the podium, the case needs to be shaped by the category or competition it's submitted to. My best advice is therefore to spend a lot of time writing and designing the case to respond to the category and criteria where it is submitted. This is greatly underestimated.

- Christian Næss Gundersen: The case should be built on good insights that describe the challenge that you have, and that you see that knowledge being used through the solution and content. So use what you know from the insights when creating cases, recruiting people and creating content that is entertaining and informative.

Season 6 of Aller Best 2021 has just started and the Aller team is looking forward to following the competition throughout the year. Good luck with your case writing!